Crème de la Crème
by SuhiSushi
Summary: What will happen when the slightly drunk Rindō decides to act upon her attraction for Eishi? "She licked her lips. 'I've already had acceptable. Now I want the best. The cream of the crop.' He raised his eyebrow, 'And I'm the person you turn to'" There will be two or three chapters in total. Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

Hello, and welcome to my first story on this account! I don't own any of the characters, obviously. You can see this story is a product of my imagination because it is set in a world where skirts have pockets. Enjoy, and please leave a review!

 **Crème de la Crème**

The Elite Ten Dormitory was located in the left wing of the Elite Ten Council Building, which was very convenient for conducting day-to-day business. Unfortunately, the building was situated on a hill, and although the slope wasn't a steep one, it still proved to be _extremely_ inconvenient to climb – if you had spent the past the past three hours drinking, _ahem,_ rice juice, that is.

As it happens, that's exactly what Kobayashi Rindō had been up to. Earlier that day she had heard some first year students talking about a party that was to take place at the Polar Star Dormitory. Apparently Yukihira Sōma had won another Shokugeki against some irrelevant second-year student and this was a cause for celebration amongst the freshmen. So naturally Rindō, like a responsible third-year and the occupant of the second seat of the Elite Ten, _had_ to attend the party and keep watch on her underclassmen. One of the tasks of the Elite Ten was to set as example to the rest of the student body. After all, Tōtsuki is an establishment of the highest standards and accepted only the most refined of students. Everything about it was premium. Luxurious. Exclusive. Top-notch.

At least that was the excuse Rindō made as she pushed past Tadokoro Megumi and entered the Polar Star. It seemed like the party had started before she walked in. She saw two guys – one blond and one dark haired – exchanging blows in one corner. The next moment they were seen hugging. Isshiki, her fellow Elite Ten member, was running around in his trademark apron. Rindō allowed herself a couple of moment to appreciate the sight. Then she saw Yukihira Sōma whipping up some concoction in the corner, a couple of students – his guinea pigs, no doubt – trembling in front of him. The last thing she clearly remembers is someone (was it Tadokoro?) shoving (or politely offering) a glass of a cloudy white drink into her hand.

And that is why now, some hours later, she was stumbling her was up the gravel path leading to the Elite Ten building. Honestly, she was proud at herself for managing to undertake such a tedious task with such undeniable skill.

Approximately fifteen minutes later, she finally reached the entrance, slightly out of breath. Thankfully the door wasn't yet locked for the day so she didn't have to fumble for the key. She was just about to climb the stairs when she noticed the lights were still on in one of the kitchens on the ground floor. It piqued her interest. Who could still be cooking at this hour?

She skipped towards the kitchen and was exactly zero percent surprised when she saw a head full of fluffy white hair staring intently at the oven. The head was, of course, attached to the delicious body of none other than the Elite Ten First Seat.

"Eishi," she purred, "I was just asking myself, _Who is this no-lifer who is wasting a perfectly good Sunday night on cooking._ "

"I'm not wasting anything. I'm using my free time to hone my skills to perfection. Something you should be doing, too," her classmate didn't even flinch at her provocation. Guess she would just have to be more provocative, then.

"But there is so mu-much," she hiccupped, "That you could be doing, right at this moment."

Tsukasa Eishi finally turned his crystal eyes to her, "What could I be doing, then?"

Rindō's lips stretched into a feline smile, "Me, for example." She burst into laughter at her _amazing_ joke.

"You're downright hilarious, Rindō," Eishi deadpanned, "And you're also downright drunk."

"Where did you get that idea?" Rindō asked. Before he could answer, she saw a very inviting countertop. It was littered with various kitchen utensils, but she got the sense that each piece was just where it was supposed to be. She scoffed – she expected nothing less from the perfect perfectionist that is Tsukasa Eishi. She took great joy in pushing all the bowls, whisks, spoons, and whatnot to the sides of the countertop, clearing the surface. She hopped on, _gracefully,_ of course, and swung her legs.

"That's super unhygienic, Rindō," Eishi muttered, becoming ghostly pale. She only laughed in his face, grabbed his collar – she would have grabbed his tie, but he always took it off while cooking – and pulled him closer. Their faces were almost level; as she was sitting, she was taller by a smidgeon. She liked this new sensation of being taller than him. "I bet we could make this countertop even more unhygienic than this."

"Was there no acceptable male specimens at the party you attended? Assuming you were partying, and not just drinking alone in your room."

"There were several," she licked her lips, "But I've already had _acceptable._ Now I want the _best._ The cream of the crop."

He raised his eyebrow, "And I'm the person you turn to?"

"Girls talk, you know," she answered slyly, "Don't they tell you how good you _apparently_ are?" She let go of his shirt, which had scrunched up under her grip. He didn't step away and that alone sent a thrill through her body.

"No," he cocked his head, "I never ask them how it was."

Just like he never asks whether his dishes taste right. He already _knows._ Rindō suddenly felt the need to pull her thighs closer together. The room's temperature just skyrocketed and she didn't think it was the oven's fault (she had wondered briefly what was it that he was baking, but since then the room has mostly turned into a blur and she could only focus on the snack in front of her).

"Maybe I should go back to the party and check if there's anyone up to the challenge. Since clearly there's no one like that here," she thought she sounded very sleek while saying this and congratulated herself, which made her laugh.

Eishi grabbed her wrists and Rindō hazily thought that it's the first time that evening he was the one to initiate physical contact. It was an exciting thought, even more so than his words: "You're going to bed, that's where you're going."

"Are you coming with me?" she asked coyly.

"Only if you stop using middle-grade pick up lines," he smirked and pulled her off the counter. For a moment they stood face-to-face, completely still. Eishi's gaze flicked to her lips and she wondered would he actually kiss her. She hoped he would because, _good Lord,_ after all these years, it was about time. But she was at this point quite aware that she probably reeked of all that sake from before, so she hoped he wouldn't really go for it. Still, his gaze, which didn't stop just at her lips, was so intense that she felt a heat rising to her cheeks.

His pale eyes met with her golden ones again, and she saw he was amused by the effect he had on her. She was _definitely_ just about to push him away for being insolent and presumptuous, but he was faster and was soon guiding her through the kitchen door and up the stairs. The bedrooms were set up on the second floor (the first floor being reserved for the offices), so there were quite a few flights to take. But during the whole climb she focused mostly on his hand grasping her forearm and his touch searing through her school uniform.

They were just in front of her room when she had an amazing idea. "Eishi," she said seriously, "If we get married, will you take my surname?" She had a laughing bout, "Kobayashi Eishi! It rhymes! It's genius!" She wanted to pat herself on the back for coming up with a line like that. She wiped the tears out of her eyes and looked up, only to find him smiling faintly at her. "I knew you wouldn't be able to resist making another lame joke," he said.

She pouted theatrically, "Does that mean you're not joining me in bed?" He hummed in affirmation. "Fine," she pursed her lips, "But I have a little problem, you see."

"What is it?" he asked, and she could see he was only pretending to be annoyed and was probably already more than half concerned for her wellbeing. The fact that he could go from super confident to super worried about everything was just another part of his charm (which he had plenty of). It made her smile. "You see, I'm a bit tipsy," she started, and thought she could hear him mutter "No shit" under his breath, but she chose to ignore him, "And I'm positive I won't be able to unlock the door."

"And what would you have me do?" he asked.

"Oh, _many_ things," she grinned, "But for now, could you find my key? It's in my pocket." She giggled and innocently fluttered her eyes at him, acting like a damsel in distress. She knew that he knew she didn't fit into the trope at all, but she also knew that the White Knight of the Table would not refuse such a small favour to his friend and classmate.

He looked her up and down again, "Which pocket?"

She hummed, as if in deep thought, and then shrugged, "Must be in one of them."

"Well then, I suppose I'll have to find it," his hands started to roam over her body. She relaxed and leaned against the door, an almost inaudible sigh inadvertently escaping her lips. He started with a light touch on her neck, just the tips of his fingers, outlined her shoulders and travelled down the arms, circled her waist and gripped her hips, until he fished out the little key from a miniature pocket on her skirt. He never once broke eye contact with her. And although he avoided all the areas she desperately wanted him to touch, she was beginning to feel a little weak in her knees; she didn't know whether it was because of the sake or because of Eishi, although she had her suspicions.

"Brace yourself," he whispered into her ear, sending chills down her spine. She wondered what he was about to do, but she didn't have to wait long to find out. He turned the key and pushed the door open. She would have lost her balance, were it not for his arm that had snaked around her waist. She found herself squished against his chest, and for a fleeting moment she asked herself _How in the world did I end up here._

The next moment, she was back to her springy self and pulled Eishi into her room with her. "Well, my job here is done," he said, trying to back away. She put two of her fingers – the pointer and the middle finger – to his lips, shushing him. "It's a shame, really," she said, "I guess these would have to do, then." He quirked an eyebrow, silently demanding an explanation. Rindō grinned again, "Guess what I'm doing with these fingers later."

He let out something that was between a growl and a groan of desperation. Eishi then took hold of her wrist again, and parted his lips. He licked the tips of her fingers and then took them inside his mouth, eliciting a surprised moan from Rindō.

Eishi dropped her hand and took a step back. "As much as I'd like to stay and watch, you're still drunk," he shook his head, as if he, too, were asking himself how they'd found themselves in this situation, "And also I have about a minute and forty seconds before the oven timer goes off."

He was already at the door when he turned around and said, "Sweet dreams, Rindō." Then he sketched a bow and left her alone in the room.


	2. Chapter 2: Still Vanilla

**Still Vanilla**

"What in tarnation," she mumbled out her first words of the day. "Who the hell drills walls so early in the morning?" She tried to get up, and the drilling increased. She groaned as she realized no one was drilling anything and it was all just a headache pounding inside of her skull. Then the whole last night came back to her and she groaned even louder, causing a sharp pain to shoot through her temples.

In all honesty, there was nothing surprising about the whole incident. Of course she found Tsukasa attractive. Anyone with a pair of two good eyes – or even just one eye – couldn't deny that the First Seat was delectable. But it wasn't (all) just physical attraction. He was smart and hardworking, and despite the fact that he could be selfish at times, he was always there for his friends. Not that he had many of them. Rindō was happy to be able to count herself among his friends, even if she did force him into this friendship when they were in middle school. Over the years their friendship became peppered with looks and touches that have long outgrown the label "platonic", but they never crossed the line. They were both too busy with their own cooking and the Elite Ten administrative work (although she liked to leave all her paperwork to him). At least that was the excuse she always used when thinking about it.

So basically, what happened yesterday was just a more intense version of everything that had been building up for years. Right?

She almost wrote it off as nothing until she remembered how much she liked his touch. How much she wanted to kiss him and run her fingers through his silky hair.

Rindō decided this was a good time to stop thinking and have a cold shower instead. And have several cups of water to help fight off the headache. She'd be like new in no time.

At about 11 a.m. there was an Elite Ten meeting she probably needed to attend. Luckily, the headache had subdued quite a bit by that time, but she still felt a little uneasy. For a second or two, she considered skipping the meeting. She wasn't scared of facing Eishi, not exactly. She half hoped the incident wouldn't be mentioned ever again – she wasn't ashamed of her behaviour, but she wouldn't like being reminded of how he ultimately turned her down. At least she could be sure that he wouldn't say anything in front of the other eight students.

But one part of her (it might have been her heart) was hoping they would acknowledge the chemistry between them and act upon it.

She was the last to arrive to the meeting and the others paid her barely any attention. Except Kuga Terunori, who muttered something about her being permanently late, and Tsukasa, who shot her a secretive smirk. She wanted to smirk back, but then she remembered that last night she'd said something about them being married – a line that seemed brilliant at the time (but was definitely not). _What in the world was wrong with her?_ Of course, the only free seat left _had_ to be the one on the left from Tsukasa. She slumped down next to him, and he gave no further signs of being aware of her presence.

About half an hour into the meeting she decided it was Tsukasa's turn to make a move. If he wanted to move this – whatever it was – forward, he would have to be the one to take the first step. She had embarrassed herself enough yesterday. She was never one of those desperate girls who threw themselves over the boys they liked. The boys threw themselves over _her._ Just because Tsukasa's her friend didn't mean he'd be getting any special treatment.

Happy with her resolution, she continued not to pay attention to the meeting. What roused her out of her semi-slumber was a gentle push against her knee. She opened her eyes. Eizan Etsuya was still babbling about this or that, and everyone at least pretended to care about it. Tsukasa looked like he was jotting down some notes, but then his leg moved again and made contact with her own under the desk.

 _Well now we're talking._

She pretended to adjust her seating, pulling her chair more under the desk and closer to Eishi. He smiled down onto his notes, still writing in his pretty cursive (well, pretty for a guy's handwriting at least). Her right thigh and his left one were now almost completely touching. He stretched out his leg so that it passed under hers and then raised it back into the sitting position, bringing her leg upwards along with his own. She was propped up on him now and his left hand was resting on her knee. But it wasn't resting for long and he soon began tracing lazy small circles on her skin, gradually progressing closer to the hem of her skirt. Her skirt itself had at this point ridden up quite high. Rindō suspected they would be rather obvious to anyone glancing in their direction, as they were sitting unnecessarily close to each other and at a weird angle. But no one said anything or seemed to notice. Saitō Sōmei was sitting on Rindō's other side and he probably did notice, but he was polite enough not to say anything. Maybe it was against the bushido code to publically expose unprofessional behaviour of your classmates.

"So what you're saying, Eizan," said Isshiki, "Is more paperwork?"

"Yes," Eizan said grimly, "More paperwork."

"Then I guess that concludes the today's meeting," said Eishi and Rindō quickly slid her leg down and clenched her thighs together. The rest of the members started getting up as he said, "Thank you all for coming."

"Catch you later, Rindō," he told her casually, and was gone before she could reply. _Not if I catch you first._

"Kobayashi-san? Are you okay? You look a bit flushed." So much for no one noticing what they had been up to. Nakiri Erina was looking at her with worried eyes. Rindō had already noticed that the younger girl had been showing more feelings lately – the Ice Queen was slowly starting to thaw. Thankfully the girl was still oblivious to all things romance, so it was easy to come up with an excuse. "Oh, I still haven't shaken off a headache from yesterday," Rindō waved it off.

"Well, if you want, you can drop by the Nakiri Estate later. Hisako-san makes excellent medicinal teas, I'm sure she'll come up with something to ease your pain." Rindō was genuinely surprised at the younger girl's offer, but also thankful. Could it be that the Heiress was finally becoming more human?

"Thank you," Rindō smiled at her warmly, "I have a class now, but maybe later."

She wasn't particularly looking forward to the class in question. It was a patisserie class, whose nature itself didn't allow Rindō to really enjoy it – she was more into cooking crocodiles and snakes, so the ingredients they used in the Desserts 301 class were positively boring for Rindō's taste. Just last week, they had to make some jiggly-wiggly monstrosity of a dessert (which was much too sweet, even for a sweet, and utterly unexciting in terms of ingredients, but was apparently all the rage on the Internet at the moment). But at least Eishi would be attending the class, too, and watching him cook was an experience in itself. And after what occurred yesterday and again this morning... Maybe today won't be so bad after all.

* * *

Today was going to be terrible. Tsukasa Eishi knew it as soon as the Desserts professor announced: "You'll be doing pair-work today. Please find your partners and begin working on a dessert of your choosing. You're free to use any of the ingredients displayed." The professor motioned to the tables at the back of the kitchen, laden with a plethora of ingredients. At this point Eishi was barely listening because his brain had gone into overdrive. He was becoming lightheaded as he calculated all the ways this class could go wrong: he never works alone – his assistant will be clumsy for sure – what if they cut off their finger – or worse! what if they spray blood into Eishi's dessert! – or add too much sugar – too much vanilla extract – too much of anything – anything could go wrong – it's not going to be perfect –

He was suddenly brought back to Earth when someone's arms suddenly wrapped around him from behind. He hadn't heard anyone approach so it's safe to say that he wasn't just mildly surprised by being hugged. Hugged during such a time of crisis! His dessert - !

"Don't overwork your pretty head, Eishi," a female voice purred into his ear as she – he knew immediately it was Rindō – gripped him tighter. And though it might seem like a friendly hug (or just one of Rindō's usual stunts) to anyone else, the way she was pushing her soft curves against his back... And the way her fingers fanned out across his abdomen, slowly sliding downwards... Eishi's stance went even more rigid than before.

The professor coughed, "You have two hours. You may begin." With a chuckle, the she-devil peeled herself off Eishi and stationed herself next to him.

"I'm sure you won't mind us working together on this, partner," she said. She was looking very much like the cat that got the cream. He squinted at her, "You look way too enthusiastic. I've never seen you so excited about this class."

Her grin widened, "Oh, I'm just waiting for you to suggest that I be your assistant. Or a sous-chef. So that I can hit you on the head."

He decided to keep his mouth shut. _But maybe..._

She smacked him upside the head. "I didn't say anything," he grumbled, rubbing his ear.

"But you were thinking it!"

"Well _technically,_ if we were to pull rank..." Eishi laughed when she lunged to slap him again, deflecting her, and catching her other hand which had attempted a sneak-attack from the other side. He placed a feather-light kiss on the inside of her wrist, "I'm just kidding, Rindō. I know you're a great chef." She was better than great, actually, and he was glad to have her by his side. Not just for her cooking skills. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about her since yesterday and their escapade from the morning meeting didn't really help ease his condition.

"Let's get the ingredients, then," she turned to leave, but he stopped her by gripping her high pony-tail. He wrapped her crimson hair around his palm once and gently tugged on it, exposing her neck. "But if I find a single red hair in our dish, it'll be the end of you," he breathed into her ear. As he inhaled the scent of her hair, he considered how appropriate it would be to give her a hickey on that perfect neck, with the rest of the class watching. Dismally, he conceded that it probably wouldn't be appropriate at all so he let her go. Heat had definitely coloured her face as she turned, "I could say the same thing about finding any of your stupid hair."

"So you like my hair, then?" he threw after her as she went to the ingredients table, laughter lining his voice.

As he watched her approach the ingredients, hips swaying, he absent-mindedly wondered if he would even survive this class. She turned to look at him and waved him on to hurry up and join her.

"Know any good French desserts?" Rindō asked him when he approached her. "French?" he asked her, pleasantly surprised she picked his forte as the theme for their dish.

She shrugged impishly, "I'm in mood for some French." He smirked at her and mentally went through the long list of good French desserts that he did, in fact, know. "How about Pierre Hermé's Ispahan?" he suggested a pastry that was essentially an oversized macaron, filled with rose buttercream, with a lychee in the centre and an edge lined with raspberries.

Rindō pondered for a moment and gave a nod of agreement, "I can find a way to spice it up."

"I have no doubt you can," Eishi said and they started picking through the ingredients. They were somewhat behind; most students have already started prepping. Akanegakubo Momo looked like she was already half-way done with the recipe (her cooking partner was trembling on the sidelines and was watching the small purple-haired girl with wide eyes). Soon Eishi was hauling all the ingredients they settled on back to their workstation (Rindō didn't want to carry anything and just pointed to the ingredients for Eishi to pick up).

As they began their preparation process, Eishi realized that he had probably never cooked with Rindō before. Sure, they'd cooked for each other often, and there was also a cooking battle or two – although no taste-taster ever dared to proclaim a winner of such a duel. But creating something together... "This is our first cooking time, you know?"

"I was hoping our first time together would be this evening," Rindō replied without missing a beat while chopping up their secret ingredients. She only turned to wink at him and size him up-and-down.

 _That vixen._

Eishi was pleasantly surprised at how well everything was going so far. Instead of each insisting on their own idea, they agreed on the dish, each contributing with what they excelled at. Still, Rindō was a wild card and her presence – both in cooking and otherwise – kept him on his toes. He knew this dish would turn out different than any he'd made before.

But it was certainly up to his standards in terms of how it looked. Some half an hour later, they were standing in front of a perfectly round pastry the size of a smallish cake. The pink macaron shell hasn't cracked anywhere; the buttercream coated the lychee fruit inside the macaron, and the berries held everything together. A berry and a single rose petal sat on top of the dessert as adornment.

"I want to try it," Rindō said and Eishi momentarily lost his cool again.

"Are you crazy? It has to look perfect for the presentation and grading!" But Rindō was already wielding a knife. She bumped him with her hip to get him out of the way and cut the dessert. Eishi sighed, knowing he wouldn't be able to stop her. Besides, he didn't really want to stop her anyway – he was dying to try the pastry they made.

He'd taken only a step back when she pushed him out of the way, and was now standing close next to her. He couldn't resist touching her neck and tracing his finger down her spine, going low, lower – not low enough. His palm settled on the small of her back just as she finished putting a piece of their creation on a plate.

"Well, are you going to try it, then?"

She handed him the plate and said, "Only if you feed it to me."

 _She. Was. Killing. Him._

She smiled innocently, waiting. Her dewy lips parted when he brought a fork closer to them, offering her a bite. Eishi watched her face while she tasted it for the first time. Her eyelids fluttered and closed, and a cherry tinge was blooming on her cheeks. The image of Rindō letting out a soft sigh, lips trembling, was now forever etched onto Eishi's eyelids. He couldn't wait any longer – he ate a bite of their Ispahan and barely stopped himself from groaning out loud. The taste reminded him of a late spring day, when the nature is at its prime and everything is so full of life, when summer was already permeating the air, but without the scorching heat just yet – it was the perfect balance between spring and summer. Had he been working alone, he would have probably done some steps differently, but this dish... Is this what people meant when they said chefs should pour themselves into their dish? Because this dish was playful and hot and he could _feel_ it, not just _taste_ it. It was simply -

"Brilliant!" the professor all but shouted, waving his own fork around. "I thought you wouldn't be able to pull off making the Ispahan, especially when I saw you replaced raspberries with blackberries. But these aren't blackberries at all, they are merely black raspberries! And they give this dish a whole other dimension. And the buttercream... It's not rose, it's vanilla and Cayenne pepper! How ingenious! And," he paused and closed his eyes, "the shells are coated with a layer of sweet rum on the inside, aren't they?"

"That's right," Eishi confirmed, putting some more space between him and Rindō, who still seemed a bit shaken.

"The taste transports me back to when I first met my wife..." the professor trailed off into his own memories and Eishi was worried the old man was about to reveal personal information to his students. Thankfully, the professor congratulated them both on getting excellent marks and left, saying he needed to call his wife and tell her he loves her.

By that point most of the students had cleared out. Eishi turned to Rindō, and caught her stuffing something into a pocket on her cooking uniform. She threw him a smile and swaggered by him. "Catch you later, Eishi," she blew him a kiss and left him to mull over their dish.

He took his bag in which he kept his clothes and made for the changing room. Only when he was back in his school uniform did he notice that he had been robbed. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find his tie. And there was only one person who could have taken it.

.

.

 **Hi, everyone! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! If you stuck around till the end, please leave a review to let me know what you think about the story so far!**

 **I guess I should also make another disclaimer: I am no cook. I don't know how their Ispahan cake would taste like (hopefully like a spring and summer day!). I was researching French desserts and the first result was (naturally) a Buzzfeed article, which I'll link on my profile. I'll also put a link to another Ispahan recipe I found, so check that out, too!**


	3. Chapter 3: Big Fish

**Big Fish**

At Tōtsuki academy, the lunch break wasn't your usual kind of lunch break. Just like in most other schools, the students got some free time, in this case two hours, to use however they like. Unlike in most other schools, the student body didn't congregate in the school cafeteria, as there _was_ no school cafeteria at Tōtsuki. It would be counter-productive to serve indigestible excuse for food to the students of the prestigious culinary academy. Instead, everyone went their own way and made their own meal, and the kitchens were all at their disposition. (The official unofficial school policy was that if someone died of malnutrition, it was a sign that they weren't fit to be a chef anyway. Survival of the fittest and all that jazz.)

When Desserts 301 ended and she changed into her regular school uniform, Rindō let her legs carry her away to one of the kitchens in the main academy building. It wasn't until she was safely away from the Desserts classroom that Rindō allowed her lips to spread into a triumphant smile. When she'd seen that tie sticking out of Eishi's bag, she knew she had to have it. She hadn't devised a plan of what to do with it yet, but snatching it up was simply too easy. The opportunity was too good to miss. Eishi had been too calm, poised, during the meeting and during class, too; she needed to shake him up a little, because, boy, was _she_ shaken up. Simply stealing the tie would be enough to vex Eishi, so if she found another way to torture him with it, those would just be bonus points. (She was such a good friend.)

She was passing different kitchens, some already taken, some still empty, until she noticed that one was occupied by a blonde girl and her faithful pink-haired friend/secretary. She barged in and announced, "I was promised a cup of anti-headache tea brewed by the best medicinal cook of this academy!"

Nakiri Erina and Arato Hisako looked mildly startled by her sudden and rather rude appearance. "Kobayashi-senpai!" Nakiri stuttered slightly, "Of course, please join us!"

"Your headache will disappear in no time at all!" Arato was already whipping out the ingredients. And although Rindō's headache had faded since that morning (a very different kind of ache was now ruling her nether regions), she was content to settle on a barstool and lean on the kitchen counter in front of her, watching the younger girls move around the kitchen with agility and speed any aspiring chef must possess. Nakiri offered to cook up a lunch for all of them and Rindō was yet again more than happy to accept. It gave her time to think of what to do with the stolen tie. Arato handed her a cup of lemon-ginger tea (which reminded her of a day at the beach, with a spicy twist) and Rindō slowly sipped it, forming a master-plan from the maelstrom of ideas. She was just putting the finishing touches on it, when her phone vibrated, signalling a received message.

She opened the instant messenger and sure enough, an exceptionally concise text had popped up: "You thief."

Rindō's fingers flew over her screen as she tapped the letters: "New phone, who this?"

Almost instantly, she received a reply. The written words were almost dripping with annoyance: "Damnit, Rindō, I want my tie back."

She chuckled into her phone and typed: "You're gonna have to find it first."

She read the next message – "Where are you?" – and promptly pocketed her phone again. The vibrations continued in quick succession, Eishi probably still inquiring about her location. The guy was persistent.

"Kobayashi-senpai, please join us for the meal!" Nakiri put a plate in front of her. It contained a piece of salmon, covered with a layer of honey-mustard glaze and arranged on top of fried rice. The scent alone made Rindō anxious to dig in. It was, after all, the cooking of God Tongue, and she didn't doubt it would be delicious. She cut through the salmon with ease, as if the fish were eager to become a tasty bite for Rindō to enjoy. The honey enveloped her into a warm embrace and she found herself floating in a river of sunlight, the salmon merrily swimming around her. And when she tried the fried rice, Rindō realized just how thoughtfully crafted the dish was – mixed in with the rice were tea leaves, straight from Arato's lemon-ginger infusion. The dish and the drink complemented each other perfectly. Rindō closed her eyes, basking in the glory of sun and salmon. She'd never felt so relaxed.

Alas, her peaceful state was rudely interrupted when a door slammed behind her. Rindō felt a pang of irritation at being disturbed, but she kept her eyes closed. She knew who'd just burst in, anyway. And if she hadn't known already, Nakiri and Arato's proclamation "Tsukasa-senpai!" was a dead give-away (the young'uns will probably remember this day as the Day of the Rude Senpais).

"Nakiri-san, Arato-san," Eishi acknowledged. "Rindō," she finally turned at the sound of her name and looked at him. "Give it back," he was out of breath, probably from running around and looking for her. He was looking rather dishevelled, indeed. Rindō's lips curled upwards. "How did you find me?"

"Oh, you know," he waved his hand around, "Just followed the scent of a lying thief."

"Senpais, please, what is going on? Can we help?" Nakiri was looking between the two, brows slightly furrowed.

"I think that Eishi here," Rindō amiably gestured towards him, as if to accentuate his silliness, "Is under the impression that I am in possession of a missing item of his." He opened his mouth (probably to tell her to stop speaking so melodramatically), but she interrupted him, "That, of course, isn't the case! Kobayashi Rindō is no thief! So please, Eishi, forget that silly notion. Aren't you hungry?"

Eishi eyed her for a moment, "I am _very_ hungry."

Rindō licked her lips, "Why don't you join us for lunch, then?"

"Oh, but," Nakiri piped in, "I don't think I've made enough for everyone, then."

"It's fine, I – " "Eishi and I can share" they said at the same time. Rindō gave him a sweet smile and beckoned him to join her. Under the expectant gazes of Nakiri and Arato, Eishi slumped onto a stool next to her. "I'm sure it had looked wonderful," he said looking at the garnished dish, "Before Rindō stuffed her face with it." He took a bite of salmon and rice as she shrugged, "Well, you know how much I like stuffing my face with it." It was rather amusing to watch his face turn delightfully pinkish, as he almost choked on the mouthful.

She tapped him lightly on the back as he coughed and weakly said, "My compliments to the cook." He nodded to the girls, who were both blushing and were both very puzzled.

"Now look at what you've done," Rindō scolded him, "You've made our underclassmen uncomfortable."

" _I_ made them uncomfortable?" he protested in indignation, while the girls excused themselves and went to the far side of the kitchen to wash their dishes. Clearly chagrined, Eishi ate some more salmon (he was hungry, after all) and Rindō could see that he was enjoying the food, but was still analysing it, finding ways to improve it. Always striving for perfection – and if he applied the same principle to everything else... Rindō had a moment of self-doubt. What if she wasn't good enough for him? In every sense? But she quickly dismissed the depressing thought. That kind of thinking was for losers and she wasn't one. He was about to take another bite and she poked him in the ribs, "Hey, leave some of that for me!"

He held out the fork in front of her, "Open up."

"For you, any time," she winked and accepted the bite. This time, the sun-kissed salmon had an impact of a thousand suns. The dish was either magically transforming or some other factor was at play. In any case, she was well aware of Eishi intensely watching her lips so she licked them again, for good measure. He sighed in what she chose to interpret as frustration, "How is it that this whole day we have never once been alone in a room?"

Rindō leaned in to whisper into his ear, "If there hadn't been a bunch of other people in the class with us, I would have _pounced_ on you." He angled his head and his lips were so tauntingly close. "If you hadn't been drunk last night, I would have bent you right over that countertop." Rindō may or may not have squealed. "Or taken you against your door." She vowed never to even touch alcohol again. "Rindō," he murmured enticingly, "Where is my tie?"

Something clanged in the background and Rindō remembered that there were two other people in the room. She withdrew from Eishi, who was silently laughing. She shifted on her seat, crossing her legs. And then her skirt rode up, revealing a strip of cloth tied around her thigh, finished off with pretty bow. Rindō watched his face when he did a double-take, realizing what her newest accessory was. "Hell, woman," he didn't finish his sentence and Rindō rejoiced. Her goal of totally throwing him off balance was finally achieved. _Who's shaken up now, ha?_ His eyes darkened into a stormy colour and the silent promise of his smouldering gaze made her toes curl up. She was tempted to drag him out of there and into the first empty classroom, corridor, toilet, closet, or whatever empty space they stumble upon first, and have her way with him.

When he started for the tie, she smacked his hand away. It was incredibly hard to deprive herself of his touch, but she had other plans for later, "Hands to yourself, you rascal. You're going to make me late for my class. Go help Nakiri-san and Arato-san with the dishes!"

The younger girls, who had hopefully been far enough so as not to hear the whole conversation, perked up on the sounds of their names.

"No, no, it's absolutely fine," Nakiri assumingly tried to make herself disappear by energetically waving her hands. And if Rindō's eyes weren't deceiving her, the younger girl seemed quite red in the face. _Hmm._ Maybe Eishi and she hadn't been as inconspicuous as she'd thought they were. Rindō shoved their shared plate into Eishi's hands and pushed him toward the sink to do some housework (she did love letting other people do things instead of her). As much as she'd have loved to stay and watch Eishi get all wet and soapy, she did have a class bound to start in a couple of minutes. The lunch break was almost over.

* * *

History of Cooking 101 was an elective class Rindō had chosen on a whim. It wasn't particularly engaging, as it consisted only of theoretical knowledge data-dump (but it definitely sounded better than the other elective option, Yeast and Feast 101). They'd done a brief overview of prehistoric history, with the hunters and gatherers, and domestication of first animal kinds, and then moved onto the ancient recipes. The professor was just talking about garum, the ancient Mediterranean fermented fish sauce, when her phone vibrated.

"Are you a magician? Because that disappearing act you just pulled was mad."

Rindō snorted at the text message. "You're supposed to wait for my answer, not answer it yourself," she sent back.

"You're supposed to wear a tie around your neck, not your leg," came the reply. Rindō smirked and adjusted her thigh-tie (the name had a nice ring to it), pulling it higher up. The silky material was smooth against her bare skin and the touch was almost as feathery as Eishi's had been that same morning.

"Says Mr. I-wear-my-tie-loose-to-look-cool," she shot a text back and then considered. "Now leave me alone, I need to know how to make garum," she had no qualms about defying the stigma of double-texting. (She was rather fond of triple- and quadruple-texting, too.)

His next text was strikingly short and to the point: "And I need you." The words sent another wave of heat over her body.

"What are you gonna do about it?" she sent and impatiently waited for his reply. When it didn't come after a minute, she was irked. When it didn't come after five minutes, she was incensed. How dare he ignore her?

She put away her phone and tried to refocus on the lesson (the professor had moved on to different kinds of olive oil produced in Ancient Rome), but her treacherous thoughts kept flitting over to the infuriating, hot, and infuriatingly hot First Seat who was evidently ignoring her.

It's been barely another minute before someone rapped on the classroom door. The intruder didn't wait for an invitation. "I'm sorry, professor," Tsukasa Eishi said in his most endearing voice, "but the Elite Ten has encountered an unexpected problem and we need to solve it as soon as possible. It is very urgent," he stopped for emphasis, "So if I could borrow Kobayashi-san for a moment, that would be great."

The professor, who, like most other staff, was a tiny bit scared of Eishi, was more than happy to oblige the infamous Teacher-Crusher, "Of course, of course, take all the time you need."

Eishi nodded and then turned his attention to the rows of students. His eyes instantly landed on her. "Rindō," he said, "Are you coming?"

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A bit of a cliffhanger to keep you on the edge of your seat until the next chapter! Hope you liked it!


	4. Chapter 4: Main Dish

**Hi, everyone! Thank you all for bearing with me, I know this is an unusually late update, but college just started again 2 weeks ago and I have been busy ever since. Anyway, here's the chapter,please enjoy!**

 **Main Dish**

Their eyes locked and the space between them went taut. They were alone in a room full of people. Rindō got up from her seat and strutted towards him, his intense focus making her skin prickle. She seriously doubted there was an actual Elite Ten business problem (Eishi made sure all the paperwork was immaculate).

"We'll try to be quick, professor," she shot the old man a smile and exited the classroom. She stood in the hall and bounced on the balls of her feet, watching Eishi's slow, deliberate movements as he closed the door, cutting off the soft murmur of their fellow students, and turned to her. The silence of the hall was charged with electricity. Rindō realized that they were _finally_ all alone (albeit in a rather public place) and she relished the fact and the anticipation of what might happen, what she wanted to happen.

"Y'know, for a moment there, I thought you were ignoring me," she broke the silence and put her hands on her hips. Eishi's eyes followed the movement and he unabashedly looked her over again.

"You're very hard to ignore, Rindō," he said, returning his attention to her face again. His demeanour reminded her of the jungle predators that she'd encountered – and conquered. _It was trilling._

She smiled wickedly. "I hope that you're also very hard," she said in a sing-song voice. He scoffed at yet another of her bad puns, but the corner of his mouth curled up into a beginning of a smile.

"How did you even find me? Do you have my schedule memorized or something?" she inquired. "Do I have to file a stalker report?"

"You mentioned something in your text," he said, approaching her, "the sauce. So obviously you were in the cooking history class. I only needed to check the schedule posted on the Academy's website to find what classroom you're in. It's almost as if you wanted to be found." He stood right in front of her now. If she leaned in, she could kiss him.

But before she could do exactly that, he dropped to his knees and his hand sneaked underneath her skirt, feeling its way to the apparent object of his desire – his tie. Nudging her, he pulled her even closer. With the other hand, he lifted the flimsy fabric and held it in place, exposing the striped bow that was still adorning her upper thigh. Meanwhile, his fingers were skirting the line of her underwear and she wondered if he would really finger her in the middle of the school hallway. But he just kept teasing her – _like he has been doing the whole darn day_ – so close to her, but not quite there yet. Then he placed a kiss on her skin, just beneath the bow of the tie. He caught one of the hanging ends of the tie in his teeth and pulled, untying the bow and letting it fall to the ground. At the same time, he loosened his grip on her skirt and removed his other hand from underneath it. Rindō did not appreciate that move and she let him know by moaning in dissent.

He leaned in and whispered into her ear, "I can _smell_ how excited you are." His warm breath tickled her and the clean, enticing smell of his hair and his skin enveloped her. Rindō's heart was beating like a drum. She tilted her head just enough so that they were perfectly aligned and found his eyes already boring into hers. Rindō thought how she could spend entire days just losing herself in his silver orbs. But right now, she had no more time to lose.

She pressed her lips into his for the first time. It was the most innocent of kisses. Only their lips were touching and somewhere in her brain, which had turned into cotton candy, Rindō noted how perfectly they fit with one another. She savoured the feeling of their pure kiss for another split second; then they both moved at the same time and the kiss turned all but innocent. He buried his fingers into her hair and brought her closer to him. The kiss was brimming with energy and urgency to make up for what was lost in the time they'd refused to acknowledge the attraction between them. She trailed her hands down his chest, feeling the muscles beneath his shirt, curled her fingers through the belt loops of his pants and pulled his hips closer to her, desperate for the feel of him. Now exploring the inside of his mouth, Rindō hooked one leg around him. With a growl into her mouth, that she felt reverberate through her whole body, he grabbed her behind and lifted her up. Operating on pure instinct, she wrapped the other leg around him, too. He stumbled for half a step until he regained their shared balance and she found herself pressed against the wall. Eishi's hands wandered beneath her shirt and once again his touch on her bare skin left blazing trails. Lightly biting and pulling on his bottom lip, Rindō ran her fingers through his smooth hair – something she's wanted to do for a long time – and rolled her hips into him. His breath hitched and another sensation shot sparks of excitement through her nerve system, which converged between her legs – she felt his hardness against her burning core. She pressed for more and _holy Hell_ they were so close now, separated only by a few layers of clothing (although her knickers were barely able to serve their purpose anymore). Digging her fingers into his back, she rolled her hips again and kissed him like there's no tomorrow. He answered with the same hunger she was feeling and she thought she would burst. She moved her hands to the front of his trousers, ready to get rid of the offending articles of clothing. Before she could unzip him, Eishi broke their kiss.

"Not here," he said. He hadn't moved away yet so they were sharing the same air, both breathing heavily.

She planted another kiss on his lips, "But you said you would take me on the countertop."

"We can do that next time."

"And against the door."

"Next next time." She smiled at his barely eloquent words. "But the first time," he continued, slightly regaining his senses, "I want to take my sweet time with you. Besides," he laughed, "Someone is bound to walk into this hallway at some point and I don't want us to get thrown out of school just yet."

"Tsukasa Eishi, the always-proper star student of Tōtsuki Academy," she felt a giddy laughter bubbling in her throat. She felt as light as a feather, especially as she recognized that same joy in Eishi's eyes.

"Time to go back to your class," he said as he finally pushed himself away from Rindō and went to retrieve his tie which was lying on the floor, forgotten.

"I think you meant to say 'Time to go find the closest empty room', right?" Rindō tried to straighten her clothes and hair, although she knew the attempt was futile.

He came back and gave her a parting kiss that was so far from proper it would get them thrown out of school all on its own. This time it was she who broke their kiss – she wanted to tell him that _screw_ the classes and would he please just _screw_ her already. Cutting off her chance to protest, he knocked on the classroom door and opened it without waiting for the answer.

"Did you solve the problem?" asked the professor.

"No," Rindō's frustration wasn't faked, "It's much bigger than I expected,"

"We're probably going to need the whole night to solve it," Eishi added and, with a nod to the professor, exited the room.

* * *

It turned out that Rindō needn't have returned to the class, because it was almost over anyway. She sat there in her dishevelled apparel and with swollen lips, looking like she'd just had the best make-out session of her life. Which was true. Some people gave her weird looks, but they didn't reach the cloud nine she was currently on, so it didn't matter.

Still, she couldn't wait for the class to end because there was (this time an actual) problem she needed to attend to. For the next ten minutes, she kept fidgeting on her seat and when the lesson was finally over, she ran to the nearest bathroom. Locking herself in a stall, she propped her foot on the toilet, moved the soaked-through fabric of her underwear aside and touched her sensitive spot. She was already on the edge (and had been for quite a while) so she dipped her fingers in-between her folds and imagined it was Eishi moving inside of her. Recalling his kisses and touches, she picked up the pace and felt her orgasm building up. She bit down into her fist to keep the moans quiet as she reached her peak.

Giving herself a moment to recollect and catch her breath, she came to two realizations: one, her bathroom break only took a few minutes (which was impressive) so she had time to make it to her next class; and two, despite her just having orgasmed, she was still wound up. And it was clear that right now, only Eishi would satisfy her cravings.

Frowning, she made her way to the Advanced Side Dishes class. As an 'advanced' class, it wasn't restricted to the year of studying (Eishi had taken it last year), so she had to cook next to her underclassmen. Usually she loved poking around and looking into other people's dishes (and their business), but today she wasn't feeling up for it. Instead of having relieved her tension, she was even tenser now. So she poured all of her frustration, desire, and need into her dish – croquettes made out of potato and boa constrictor meat, fried in a mixture of bread crumbs and fire ants. When the professor tasted the crispy golden croquette, her eyes seemed to lose focus and she reddened in the face. She gave Rindō an A and proceeded to the next student without elaborating.

That was the last class of the day and Rindō was finally free. Free to find Eishi, that is, to slap him for leaving her unsatisfied and then to screw him senseless. _She couldn't wait._

But as she had no idea where he was and she didn't want to text him to ask (and she wasn't a stalker like he was), she decided to go back to her room first. Maybe freshen up while she's at it. She left the main compound and walked towards the Elite Ten building while the late afternoon was giving way to the freshness of the evening.

Only when she was halfway up the last flight of stairs that separated her from her room did she realize that she had been robbed.

Her room key was missing. And unless it'd mysteriously fallen out of her pocket and unless she'd deliberately thrown it into the toilet and flushed it, there was only one person who could have taken it.

She stood in front of her room and glanced right across the hall at the room ornamented with a golden number 1. She wondered what Eishi's tactic had been – did he steal her key to break into her room or did he steal it to force her to come to his?

He didn't like getting out of his comfort zone, so it could be that he was waiting for her to come banging on his door. Still... Something pulled her toward her own room, the number 2.

She touched her fingers to her knob and gave it a push. It opened seamlessly, but she didn't have time to celebrate her correct guess – her attention immediately went to the figure reclining on her pillows. For a moment she thought he was sleeping, but then he smiled. "Took you long enough. I thought you'd never come," he said, eyes still closed.

She closed the door behind her. "Funny, that's exactly what I thought, too. Do you often leave your business unfinished?" she slipped out of her blazer, hung it over a chair that was in the way, and took off her sweater, too. At the sound of rumpling clothes, he opened his eyes. "Don't get your knickers in a twist, Rindō," he smirked at her. She scrunched up her sweater and flung in at his face. The shirt found its target, but Eishi didn't seem hurt by it. Rindō kicked off her loafers and climbed onto the bed. He made a move to get up, but she pushed him onto the pillows again. She was done being played with. It was time to take matters into her own hands.

She captured his lips, her long hair falling around them like a curtain. Yet again she was stunned at what a simple kiss was doing to her body. She broke away, pecked the corner of his mouth, and trailed kisses down his neck. As she reached the collar of his shirt, she started to undo the buttons, revealing more and more of his skin, and kissing it as she went. When she ran out of buttons, she straddled him and observed her handiwork. Forget the loose tie – the unbuttoned shirt should be a part of Eishi's everyday look.

She started to unbutton her own shirt and an unwelcome memory re-entered her mind. She remembered her previous doubts of not being good enough. Still, she kept her fingers from trembling and persisted. It wasn't in her nature to quit. Not when she was this close to something – someone – she wanted with her whole heart (and some other parts). She let her shirt fall from her shoulders.

"God, you're beautiful," Eishi said in a strange voice. This time when he lifted up his torso, she didn't stop him. His lips hovered above hers. "Beautiful," he murmured again. Rindō put her hand on his neck, touching his bottom lip with her thumb. She felt his heart race beneath her palm. _He wanted this as much as she did. He may even be just as nervous about it._ The thought dispelled any remaining wisps of her doubt and she closed the distance between them. His hands went for the clasp of her bra. She parted from his lips only to slide the straps off and throw the bra to the side. Eishi massaged her breasts and worked his way to her hard buds. She sighed when he rolled one of them between his fingers and took the other into his mouth. Deciding she needed him right away, she fumbled with his zipper. When she managed, she pushed him back down again and in a swift movement pulled down both his trousers and underwear. The sight of him made her even wetter. She took it into her hand to feel his hardness and stroked up and down. She bent down to kiss his tip and he _whimpered_ under her touch. It wasn't enough for her - she wanted to taste him – but he stopped her before she could put her plan into motion. "Later," he groaned and she was again amazed how much he apparently wanted her. She decided to take pity on him.

"I'll take you up on that promise," she licked her lips and stretched towards her night stand to dig up a condom from a drawer. Eishi took the chance to flip them over so that he was above her this time, but she didn't mind. He kicked off his pants and took the condom out of Rindō's hand. While he was putting it on, she wiggled out of her skirt and panties. Eishi was devouring her with his eyes and it made her toes curl. He took hold of her hips and Rindō inhaled sharply, thinking that the moment finally arrived. Instead, he lowered his mouth onto her mound.

"No fair!" she exclaimed. "You said later!" She moaned loudly and he drowned all her potential protests with his tongue. Rindō was writhing beneath him and he must have felt that she was close, because he unlatched himself from her just as she was ready to let go. She immediately missed him and was throbbing with desire. Then all of her comprehensive thought disappeared because he finally pushed against her entrance and she watched his length disappear inside of her. They both paused, adjusting to the new sensation. He was filling her to the fullest and just being this connected to him was overwhelming and beautiful and a little scary. His mouth found hers again and she could feel herself on his lips. He started to pump in and out, his hand between them playing with her swollen pearl. Very soon, she felt her excitement approaching at break-neck speed. "Eishi," she managed to croak out before she screamed it out again, squeezing him tighter and deeper than ever before. With a final thrust, he found his own release, her name on his lips.

He didn't move away from her. They breathed together, her curves soft against his lean muscles. She had no words to convey the whirlpool of emotions and sensations that was eddying in her thoughts so she just held him and inhaled his scent. He seemed to be content to do the same.

* * *

Akanegakubo Momo was having a terrible, horrible, no good day. First the Desserts professor wasn't adequately impressed by her pastry. Sure, he fawned over it, but he appeared to be still riding the high of Kobayashi and Tsukasa's overhyped macaron. That was unacceptable. She didn't want to be anyone's shadow, even if there was little chance of beating the united powers of the First and the Second seat. But fine, she would survive.

Then she was approached by a different professor in the hall. He looked particularly concerned and grilled her about some kind of a supposed problem in the Elite Ten business for a good five minutes. She almost snapped at him by the end, but she managed to politely point out that she was not, in fact, informed of any kind of problem and that she would confer with the rest of the members.

And now... To be forced to listen to such vile obscenities and screaming... It was humiliating. It deprived her of a good night's sleep."Don't listen," she told her cat Bucchi and covered its ears. "It will be over soon." But she was wrong. The sounds from her first neighbour's – Kobayashi Rindō's – room kept coming for the most of the night.

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 **That's it! I hope you enjoyed the grand finale. It's been a pleasure having you as my readers. Let me know what you think!**


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